Jon Huntsman: Obama's Nominee for U.S. Ambassador to China

A week ago, Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. of Utah was poised to emerge as a new must-watch force within the Republican Party. He had co-chaired John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign and had begun traveling to several key Republican states to urge that the party adopt a more moderate stance on such hot-button issues as climate change and gay rights. Huntsman was also testing the waters for a potential 2012 presidential bid; the governor was being advised by McCain's former chief campaign strategist, John Weaver. So it came as something of a surprise when Huntsman accepted President Obama's nomination Saturday to be the U.S.'s ninth ambassador to the Republic of China. The appointment is a shrewd political move by Obama, as it likely removes a potential GOP nominee in 2012 while allowing the President to make a gesture of bipartisanship.

Read Joe Klein on the Huntsman nomination.

Fast Facts:

• The eldest of nine children, he was born on March 26, 1960, in Palo Alto, Calif. The family moved to Washington, D.C., in 1971, when father Jon Huntsman Sr., a billionaire philanthropist and industrialist, became a special assistant to President Richard Nixon.

• After dropping out of high school to play keyboard for rock-'n'-roll bands, Huntsman took classes at the University of Utah as a nonmatriculated student. He then embarked on a two-year Mormon mission to Taiwan, where he learned to speak fluent Mandarin Chinese. Upon returning home, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his bachelor's degree in international politics in 1987.

• Before becoming governor of Utah, Huntsman worked as a staff assistant for President Ronald Reagan, as a deputy assistant secretary of the Commerce Department's Trade Development Bureau, as the U.S. ambassador to Singapore under President George H.W. Bush and as a Deputy U.S. Trade Representative under President George W. Bush.

• Huntsman was elected governor of Utah in 2004 with 54% of the vote. In his first term, he stressed economic development, health-system reform, education and energy security. He was re-elected in November 2008 with 77% of the vote.

• Huntsman takes a more moderate stance than many in his party on the environment and gay rights. While he opposes gay marriage, he has shown support for civil unions.

• Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye Huntsman, married in 1984. The couple has seven children, one of whom was adopted from China in 1999. The family lives in Salt Lake City, where Huntsman is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Quotes by:

"When the President asks you to step up to serve your nation in such a capacity and at such an important time in world history, it is the end of the conversation and the beginning of the obligation to rise to the challenge."
— From Huntsman's statement responding to his nomination (the New York Times, May 17, 2009).

"Most Americans are fed up with the idea that partisanship has stood in the way of progress."
— On his political approach (the Washington Post, May 16, 2009).

"The U.S. and China must be good examples and stewards of the earth. We must match economic progress with environmental stewardship. The effects of industrialization are felt worldwide."
— From a speech delivered at Shanghai Normal University (the Shanghai Daily, October 2006).

"I'm a firm believer in the traditional construct of marriage, a man and a woman. But I also think that we can go a greater distance in enhancing equal rights for others in nontraditional relationships."
— On gay rights (Deseret News, February 10, 2009).

Quotes About:

"I knew that because Jon is not only a Republican but a Republican who co-chaired my opponent's campaign for the presidency, this wouldn't be the easiest decision to explain to some members of his party. But here's what I also know. I know that Jon is the kind of leader who always puts country ahead of party and is always willing to sacrifice on behalf of our nation."
— President Obama, announcing Huntsman's nomination on May 16, 2009.

"We hope that a new appointee will play a positive role and work to the advantage of the development of bilateral relations in a new era and strengthen the friendship between the two peoples."
— China's Foreign Ministry, responding to news of the nomination (Xinhua, May 18, 2009).

"Huntsman has positioned himself in a great place because he is the only presidential candidate really running in the middle right now."
— Kirk Jowers, from the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics and an adviser to three Republican presidential candidates, on Huntsman's potential presidential candidacy (ABC, May 6, 2009).

"Clearly Governor Huntsman does have major political ambitions, and serving as ambassador to China certainly gives him foreign policy credentials."
— Republican strategist LaVarr Webb (NPR, May 16, 2009).

Read Real Clear Politics' take on the Huntsman nomination.